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H. F. CLARK.

ELECTRIC ALARM FOR. TORPEDO RAILWAY' SIGNA-LS. No. 341.553. Patented May 11,' 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. CLARK, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y., vASSIGNOR TO THE PALMER TORPEDO RAILW'AY SIGNAL COMP-ANY, OF PLAINFIELD, N. J.

ELECTRIC ALARM FOR TORPEDO RAILWAY-SIGNALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,553, dated May 1l, 1886.

Application filed December 16, 15,?5. Serial No. 185,821. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. CLARK, ot' Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Electric Alarms for Torpedo Railway'Signals, of which the following is a specification.

Torpedo railway-signals have been madein which a torpedo is placed in position for being fired by a passing train in cases of danger, and there are many places where signals are given to passing trains by means of torpedoes, and such torpedoes become exhausted and the magazine empty, and accidents may occur from carelessness in not replenishing the magazines.

My present invention is made for giving aV signal at a depot, switch house, or station whenever the magazine of the torpedo railwaysignal is exhausted, in order that the same may be refilled and danger from the absence of a torpedo avoided. With this object in view I provide a follower within the magazine and an electric circuit with electrodes within or adjacent 'to the magazine, so that the follower causes a metallic contact with the electrodes and closes the circuit as soon as the last torpedo is conveyed away from the magazine.

The alarm is to be of any desired character placed at or within the switch-house, depot, or other place when the alarm will be most noticeable, so that the attention of the proper person is called to the necessity of replenishing the magazine.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a torpedosignalin section with my elect-ric alarm applied thereto, there being aiso a diagram of the electric circuit containing the alarm device. Fig. 2 is a section; Fig. 3, a sectional plan, in larger size, of the magazine and electrodes, and Fig. 4 is a section, and Fig. 5 is an inverted plan, of the circuit-closing follower.

The torpedo signaling apparatus may be of any desired character. In some of these torpedo signaling devices the torpedoes are supplied by gravity to the slide or other device that takes the torpedo from the magazine to theexploding-anvil. In others ofthese-torpedosignals the torpedoes are raised by a sprino. Myimprovement is available with any construction of torpedo signaling apparatus. 1

tically, as shown at E, upon opposite sides of such magazine, and to pass the electrodes up into such grooves, the conductors bei ng insulated from the metallic portions ofthe niagazine, as shown in the drawings, so that the naked electrodes will he exposed, and the ears upon the follower, which passinto the vertical grooves,will come in contact with or rest upon these electrodes when the follower reaches the same in consequence of the supply of torpedoes being exhausted.

I prefer to tip the ends of the conductors with platina to form the electrodes, and to use a copper strip passing across the follower from one ear to the other to form the circuitcloser, and the portions of this strip which 8o come in contact with the electrodes may be platedwith platina, in order to prevent the metallic surfaces becoming oxidized.

The electric alarm F is of any desired character, preferably a repeating-bell that rings as the circuit remains closed, and I remark that where a number of torpedo-signals are made use of they should be numbered, and a separate alarm or annunciator correspond` ingly numbered should be made use of at the 9o station or switch-house, so that it may be readily known which of the magazines is empty.

. I claim'as my invention- 1. The combination,with the torpedo-magazine, of au electric circuit containingan alarm 9 5 apparatus, and with terminals or electrodes within or adjacent to the torpedo-magazine, and a circuitclosing follower to come in contact with the electrodes and close the circuit to give an alarm when the supply of torpedoes has become exhausted or reduced, substantially as set forth.

groovesin the inside thereof andnnsulated elec- D. 1885. e

tric conductors having Jheir exposed terminails or electrodes Within such grooves, in eom- H' F' CLARK' 5 bination with a follower having ears that project into the grooves and act as circuit-closing Vltnesses' contacts when such ears come into Contact J. CLARK, with the electrodes, substantially as seb forth. E. B. DELAMATER.

2. A torpedo magazine having Vertical Signed by me this 4th day of December, A. 

